• RMS to IRMS: about the name change
• Annual Reports
• IRMS Accreditation
• Framework
• Benefits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Nominations
• The Alison North New Professional's Award
• Executive Committee
• IRMS Chairs from 1983
• IRMS Groups
• IRMS Award Recipients
• Use of the IRMS logo

Accreditation Frequently Asked Questions

Does my job title have to have 'Information' or 'Records' in it for me to be eligible to apply?

No. Application has been designed to be inclusive over a broad range of skills and work practices within the fields of information management, governance, knowledge management or any other allied profession, including data management, DPA and FOI requests, archive services, digital preservation and librarianship.

Why do I have to have Individual Membership of the IRMS?

You must hold current, paid-up individual membership of the IRMS which, as defined in the constitution, currently also includes student, affiliated and overseas members.

What criteria do I have to meet to be eligible for accreditation?

You must:

• be an Individual Member of the IRMS;
• pay the accreditation administration fee;
• have a minimum of 5 years' experience or 3 years' experience if you also hold a relevant professional qualification in IRM or its related fields;
• demonstrate that you are actively engaged in developing IRM either within your organisation and/ or the profession;
• demonstrate you are actively involved in your own professional development within IRM or its related fields.

How much will it cost me to become accredited?

There is a one-off fee of £60 to cover the administration of the accreditation system, which includes processing your application, assessment by two assessors, producing documentation and issuing you with a new Accredited Membership card, badge and certificate.

Do I need to have a qualification in information and records management?

No. You need a minimum of 5 years of experience working within the IRM profession, reducing to only 3 years if you also have a relevant educational qualification. Relevant qualifications include any professional qualifications with significant IRM content, such as an MBA with a knowledge management elective, librarianship, archives, digital security or preservation, or information rights.

Do I need to answer every question?

No, but you should respond to as many questions as you can in order to demonstrate the breadth and depth of your experience, and give the assessors as much information as possible to work with. All the reflection on learning outcome questions are mandatory and any question answered must have supporting evidence in order to give you a good chance of gaining enough points.

How do I answer the questions?

Marks will be given for the breadth and depth of your response. Breadth means the number of evidenced examples given and depth means the amount of detail you have given for each example. You don't have to write exactly 400 words for each response, but you must provide enough detail of your ability to the assessors.

What evidence must I provide to demonstrate my experience?

Suggested evidence includes letters of appreciation, conference attendance lists, committee agenda listing members and role, professional development, performance management, project documents, file plans, retention schedules, risk assessments, publications, training material, research theses and policies, procedures or guidelines from both current and past roles.

Try not to use the same piece of evidence more than once, but if you have to then you must explain the different ways you are applying it.

What are the 'levels of involvement'?

Each piece of evidence submitted to your referee(s) you must select the appropriate level of your involvement in the activity described, from the 3 levels that have been defined for accreditation purposes:

• Decision-maker - leads, manages or mentors teams or research programmes; is the primary 'knowledgeable person' for that activity; creates strategy and policy; is self-directing with minimal supervision
• Practitioner - mentors, tasks or supervises others, or performs complex research work, specialist.
• Operative - assists, shadows, carries out tasks or is closely supervised during activities including research work.

When will I get the result of my application?

If your application was received by the IRMS up to one month before a session of the Accreditation Board, you should expect notification up to two weeks after this date. If there are too many applications for the Accreditation Board to reasonably assess, or your application is received later than this cut-off, you will be informed that it will be held over until the next session. A schedule of quarterly Accreditation Board sessions will be available on the IRMS website.

How can I show people that I am accredited?

You will receive an Accredited Member certificate from the Chair of the IRMS, along with a badge and membership card which authorises you to use the post nominals AMIRMS - Accredited Member of the Information and Records Management Society. Your name will be added to the Accredited Member list on the website, published in the subsequent Bulletin and displayed at the annual IRMS Conference.

How long does accreditation last and do I have to re-apply after a certain time?

Accreditation is awarded and retained by you for as long as you pay for Individual Membership of the IRMS. However, the IRMS reserves the right to remove Accredited Membership from anyone who breaches the IRMS Code of Practice.

What if I haven't performed a particular function for a while or have changed roles?

If you have not performed an activity for a while, moved to another role or organisation, or are now in a managerial position for that activity, you can still use work examples and evidence from previous positions. As long as your evidence, level of involvement and reflection on these experiences in the learning outcome demonstrate that you performed the function, or have a sound knowledge about its practice, it can be used in your answer. For example if you no longer collate data for an information audit but have done so in the past, or now manager teams performing audits.

I've changed roles recently so how do I choose a suitable referee?

You can nominate a maximum of two referees if it proves too difficult for you to find someone who has sufficient understanding of your work if you have changed roles, or you cannot show them evidence from another organisation due to handling sensitivities. The Accreditation Guidance gives details about what you referee needs to do.

What if I'm not awarded accreditation - can I try again?

Yes. You can reapply after a minimum of 9 months from the date of your refusal letter, this being the minimum amount of time deemed suitable to gain the necessary experience or knowledge identified in your Assessment Report.

Any subsequent reapplication will incur another accreditation fee.

Can I appeal against a decision not to accredit me?

Yes, as long as you do so within 2 months of the date on your notification letter. Just download an appeal form from the website and use it to state the reason for your appeal. If you forgot to submit some additional, relevant evidence, this must be validated by your referee before forwarding the form only to the IRMS accreditation@irms.org.uk.